the blades on the brake levers are
long enough to use four fingers if
needed.
When parking the bike, there’s
a two-bladed kickstand that stores
on one side but fans out when it
opens to be more like a kickstand
for a scooter. It’s very useful to keep
the bike level while parked on flat
ground—especially handy if you’re
loading the rack. It doesn’t work as
well on sand or unlevel ground. If you
want to run into a shop for a moment,
there’s a built-in Abus café lock on
the rear wheel. Nobody will be able to
simply ride away with your bike, and
at 58 pounds, nobody is likely to pick
it up and run with it, either!
We had a great time running
errands with this bike, and it was
easy to get to places around town
with no sweat, literally. You won’t fit
a week’s worth of groceries on it, but
to run to the store and pick up a few
things or to go visit a nearby friend,
you’ll leave the car at home and grab
the Townie Go! every time.
THE VERDICT
The Townie Go! 8i is a beautiful
bike that rides as well as any comfort
bike we’ve ever ridden. It has plenty
of power from the Bosch mid-drive.
That’s a lot of great motor for such a
low price point, and it’s not like they
skimped on the quality of the components. We didn’t love the brakes, but
they still work. It’s a fun bike to ride
for commuting, hitting the farmers’
market, sightseeing or just
riding to ride. ■
SPECS
Price: $2729
Frame: 6061-T6 aluminum Flat Foot
Technology
Fork: Hi-tensile steel unicrown
Wheels: Electra 26-inch
Tires: Schwalbe Fat Frank, 26x2.35"
Motor: Bosch Performance mid-
drive, 250W
Battery: Li-ion 36V, 11 Ah, 400 Wh
Controls: Bosch Intuvia
monochrome backlit LCD,
adjustable/removable
Charge time: 3. 5 hours
Top speed: 20 mph
Range: 20–80 miles
Drive: Shimano Nexus 8-speed
internal gear hub with twist shifter
Brakes: Shimano roller brakes
Weight: 58 lb.
Color choices: (Men’s) Army Gray,
Ebony, Graphite; (Women’s)
Azure, Ebony, Lime, Polished
Silver
Available Frame Size: 15"
(women’s), 17" (men’s)
Website: www.electrabike.com